


Part of Me

by Cagedbird30



Category: Avatar: The Last Airbender
Genre: Aged-Up Character(s), Alternate Universe - College/University, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Athletes, Brief Jet/Katara, Eventual Smut, F/M, Mutual Pining, No Bending, Original Character(s), Slow Burn
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-11-17
Updated: 2021-02-07
Packaged: 2021-03-09 22:15:09
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 14,009
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27613340
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Cagedbird30/pseuds/Cagedbird30
Summary: Katara has never been away from home but now she's on the other side of the country trying get an education hoping to one day improve the livelihood of her town back in Alaska. College can be stressful, but it can also be fun.  She is also drawn to the handsome guy with the amber eyes and shaggy hair.
Relationships: Katara & Zuko (Avatar), Katara/Zuko (Avatar)
Comments: 37
Kudos: 77





	1. New Beginnings

Chapter 1

Katara was filled with nerves and excitement as she saw the city lights below her as the plane began to prepare for landing. She couldn’t help but let out a small gasp from her window seat.

This was her first time being away from her home state of Alaska.

It had been a difficult decision and she could tell it had been even harder on her dad, Chief Hakoda, but she knew it was a necessary change. Her opportunities in Alaska were limited. She wanted to be a veterinarian and there weren’t any vet programs in Alaska, so sooner or later she would have had to leave.

Katara, her brother Sokka, and her father all lived in a rural area in Alaska, they scraped by but they were not well off by any means. This meant she had to secure a scholarship, which were very competitive, if she had any chance of going away for college. She had been over the moon when she received news that she had gotten a full-ride athletic scholarship to play volleyball in Texas.

She snaped out of her daydream and quickly turned her phone on to text her new roommate that she had landed. She would be starting classes at Texas A&M tomorrow and could hardly control the butterflies in her stomach.

(Katara 7:20pm) _Hey Suki! Just landed. I’ll be at baggage claim D, see you soon! – Katara_

Her phone buzzed in her hands.

(Suki 7:21pm) _Yay! I’m already here, I’m wearing an emerald colored shirt and light blue jeans. Can’t wait to see you._

Katara hope Suki was truly as great as she sounded on the phone. Her new coach facilitated finding Katara a roommate, her soon to be teammate no less. She hoped they wouldn’t end up bickering since they would be spending so much time together all the time. She had exchanged texts and phone calls with Suki and Katara had to admit that she sounded very sweet and for that she was thankful.

“Katara!” Suki squealed running up to her and bringing her into big hug.

She was caught off guard by her new brunette friend but immediately returned her hug. “I’m so excited you’re here!” Suki continued. “How was the flight?”

Katara gave her a small smile but the strain on her face was obvious. “Long, very long, if I’m to be honest.”

“I can imagine there aren’t too many direct flights from Alaska,” Suki teased lightly. “Come on, we’ve got a bit of a drive before making it to College Station,” Suki said as she guided her teammate out of the baggage claim area and to her Silver Prius that was parked in the garage.

Conversation with Suki was effortless, the girl was remarkable, she was the co-captain of the girls’ volleyball team even though she was only a sophomore and in her spare time she practiced MMA. Katara was shocked to learn she had two different black belts. Her new roomie was a badass, she thought to herself smirking.

They exchanged stories about their childhood and how it was to grow up where they did. Suki was born and raised in Texas and she had a slight southern twang that Katara couldn’t help but admire. She also filled in Katara on how to balance classes and practices, Suki admitted she had made a few mistakes her freshman year and it took a lot of work for her to maintain a good GPA.

They stopped in a small town outside of Houston, a halfway point to Texas A&M University for some street tacos. Katara had never had tacos before which caused Suki’s eyes to almost bulge out of her sockets when she found out. Because of that she had to take Katara to the most authentic place in the area.

“Oh my god,” Katara hummed lightly. “This is incredible.”

Suki chuckled lightly, her perfect teeth showing as she smiled at her new friend. “Good stuff, huh? I still can’t believe you’ve never had tacos!”

Katara smiled sheepishly, “What can I say? Limited options in Alaska”

After stopping for dinner, it was only a short drive to their dorm. Katara hadn’t been able to tour the university prior to committing, she didn’t really care, all she knew was that A&M had a veterinary school which Katara hope she would be attending in the near future.

Suki did a quick drive through the main points of campus and although it was dark, katara could tell the school was huge.

“How many students go here?” Katara whispered.

“Almost 70,000” Suki responded.

Katara’s jaw dropped and it took a moment before she could pick it back up.

Before she knew it, they had made it to the dorms. Katara visibly relaxed as she knew she would be able to finally rest after long day of traveling. Her first class wasn’t until 10am tomorrow so she could sleep in slightly before tackling her first day of classes.

She was happy that her and Suki were both sophomores which meant their dorm was more apartment styled. They shared a nice common living area but had individual rooms and a shared bathroom. It was very cozy and Suki had decorated it well.

Katara’s room was empty except for an extra long twin bed and a desk with a chair. She looked forward to decorating it and making it homier but that would have to wait until tomorrow. She could barely brush her teeth and set the covers on her mattress before drifting off into heavy sleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I've been reading A LOT of Zutara fanfiction and I really wanted to contribute to some of the amazing plots I have read.
> 
> Also, I do not live in Texas but have visited Texas A&M in College Station. I wanted this to a setting I hadn't really seen be explored before. 
> 
> I know most fics are set in ATLA cities or have their names but I wanted to try something new and make it in the US.
> 
> Please leave comments if you'd like, I love hearing from you. Chapter 2 should be up at the end of the day tomorrow.


	2. First Encounter

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's Katara's first day of classes when she runs into a very handsome mystery guy with amber eyes and shaggy hair with a scar on the left side of his face.

Katara groaned when the sun started to make its way through her blinds but she quickly sprung up remembering it was her first day. She quickly hopped in the shower and enjoyed the warm stream of water before getting out and brushing out her long dark brown curls.

She chose to put her hair in a dutch braid. Although her school colors were maroon and white. She decided on a royal blue fitted v-neck shirt and light wash ripped jeans. She threw her backpack over her shoulder ready to tackle on her very first day.

The two roommates made their way out of the dorm hall and out into campus.

“Okay, so your first class is Gen Chem 2 right?” Suki asked, taking a look at Katara’s class schedule. “Alright, so the lecture hall is by the science library, the tricky part is that the laboratories are on the opposite side and kind of hidden.” She attempted to explain how to get there and Katara nodded slowly, slightly confused still but assumed she would find someone to guide her, she at least needed to make it to the first class.

They grabbed some breakfast sandwiches at a bagel truck on campus and continued walking into the very large university. Katara would be lying if she said she wasn’t overwhelmed. Her phone buzzed causing her to reach into her back pocket to fish it out.

(Sokka 9:22am) _Good luck little sis! Try not to get too lost._ The message read followed by a lot of tongue out emojis.

(Sokka 9:23am) _Also stay away from boys!!! Don’t trust any of them._

Katara rolled her eyes and chuckled lightly before sending him a thank you reply and told him she missed him. She did, this would be so much easier if her brother was with her. But Sokka was in Washington State on a soccer scholarship and studying Engineering, she was very proud of her brother.

“Everything okay?” Suki asked curiously.

Katara gave her a warm smile and nodded. “Just my overprotective brother wishing me a good first day.”

“So not many people know this, but all student athletes have their own dining hall at the football stadium. It is technically open to all students for breakfast but is exclusive to athletes for lunch and dinner. We are expected to show up for lunch, but dinner is not enforced. The coaches sit at their own table but they do keep an eye on us to make sure we show up, its kind of a subtle ‘check-in’ to ensure we are getting out of the dorms and going to class. Lunch starts at 1pm and is served until 3pm. I’ll see you after you get out of your chemistry lab class, I’ll save you a seat at our table, we sit as a team usually.” Suki smiled warmly.

Katara released a breath she didn’t know she had been holding in and returned the other girl’s smile. It felt nice to be part of a group.

Suki and her went their separate ways. Katara headed to the science area and Suki went to the other side of campus to head to her ethics class.

Katara was thankful she found the science buildings with ease. The lecture hall was huge. She felt so small as she sat down near the fifth row. She didn’t want to be too close but close enough to see without having to strain her eyes. The professor seemed nice, but she was caught off guard when they immediately dived into the material for the semester. By the end of the hour Katara felt her hand cramping up trying to keep up with drawing all of the molecules. It was a few minutes before 11 and she had to figure out how to get to the laboratories which were surprisingly nowhere near her. She started walking towards the gym and tried to look at the map on her phone but it was difficult since the sun caused a glare on the screen. She stopped to try to get under the shade to take a better look but the person behind her ran into her backpack.

“Oh I’m sorry!” Katara said quickly with a shy smile to the girl behind her. She quickly tried to move forward but onto the sidewalk but she tripped lightly and her phone went flying causing her to kneel down to reach it. She didn’t see that there was a guy running quite fast and he tripped over her left side and did a front flip over landing with an audible thud on the ground.

The stranger groaned loudly holding his side. “What the fuck?” his eyes remained closed for a second before opening them and trying to assess the situation.

Katara felt a sense of panic wash over her as she took in the stranger sprawled out on the floor in front of her.

He had black shaggy hair with pale skin and burn mark over a third of his face on the left side. His amber eyes opened up staring up at her. She attempted to help him up but he held a hand up signaling her to stop.

“Don’t” he said shortly. His voice was a bit husky and Katara got some butterflies in her stomach. As he stood up she couldn’t deny he was outwardly handsome. He wore black basketball shorts and a maroon cutoff shirt which showed off his very muscular arms. Katara gulped.

“I am so sorry,” Katara said lowly looking up shyly. The stranger was about 6 inches taller than her. “I got lost and then my phone fell and I wasn’t looking…” she rambled, trailing off when she caught the man’s scowl. It was very intimidating.

“It’s fine” the man grumbled. He had scratched his arm up his arm pretty good on the concrete and was holding his left side, wincing as he tried to walk.

He began to walk away from Katara but then stopped and pinched the bridge of his nose and let out a deep sigh before turning around and facing her.

His expression softened a bit when he saw Katara’s mortified expression after he had been so short with her.

“Where are you trying to go?”

Katara stared at him for a second with her mouth hanging slightly open, she mentally face palmed herself before grabbing her class schedule trying to remember where it was that she was originally heading to.

“Fisher Science Laboratories,” She responded quickly giving him a shy smile.

The man nodded and turned away from her pointing off in a direction. “Continue on this street, the science labs aren’t too far. You’ll see a tall glass building on your left, that’s where you want to go.”

Katara smiled. “Thank you,” she said softly “I really am sorry I tripped you,” she said sincerely. The man’s golden eyes met hers briefly, they were a lot softer now. He nodded before turning away and walking off in the opposite direction.

She eventually found the building and hurried into an empty lab bench realizing she was a few minutes late. Her teaching assistant went over the basics and they watched a few safety videos before going over the lab schedule for the semester. Katara tried to focus but her mind would drift off and think about a certain slightly grumpy stranger. Before she knew it she was being dismissed from class and she decided to take the long way to the football stadium before heading to the dining hall for lunch.

Texas was definitely different from Alaska. It was a lot warmer and the days were longer. She appreciated the change in culture though, there was something nice about not knowing everyone in the area and having a chance to start anew.

She slipped into the dining hall after scanning her badge to prove she was a student athlete. The area was breathtaking and looked like something out of the harry potter books, there were high ceilings and everything had a classic wooden appearance. There were A LOT of students. Katara froze in place while scanning around to find Suki.

“Katara! Over here!” she looked over to find Suki standing and waving her over to a table. “I’m glad you made it,” her friend said earnestly. Suki made introductions to most of the girls at the table. All of her teammates seemed nice enough. She quickly learned that most where from out of state areas like herself which made her feel a little better.

Suki and Katara made their way into the food line grabbing trays as they started to chat. “So how was your first few classes?” Suki inquired.

Katara visibly slumped. “They were fine but I ran into someone”

“Oooh! Was he cute?” Jin asked excitedly, she was to Katara’s left.

“Guys, we literally ran into one another. I got lost heading to my lab class and I tripped over the sidewalk and when I knelt down to grab my phone that had fallen, he literally tripped over my whole body and went flying over me and landed on the sidewalk.”

“Ouch, that’s gotta hurt,” Suki responded, crinkling her nose.

Katara nodded. “He was so mad that I thought I would literally burn from the scowl he gave me.”

“Ugh! What a jerk, accidents happen!” Jin pitched in defensively.

Katara’s lips hardened into a line as she picked up a bowl of fruit and set it on her tray. “Meh. I don’t quite blame him, I probably would’ve been just as pissed. It definitely hurt.” Katara responded with a shrug. She lowered her a voice a little and both Suki and Jin leaned in a little closer. “Plus I couldn’t be too mad because he had really nice eyes,” Katara admitted, feeling a blush come on.

The girls squealed a little around her and gave her light jabs to her side. “Well hopefully you run into him again… well maybe not literally this time,” Suki said with a wink.

The girls sat down and fell into easy conversation. Katara was about to bite into her apple when she felt someone staring at her from across the room. She scanned the area until she locked eyes with a set of familiar amber eyes. It was the same guy from earlier, he held her gaze for a moment before looking away and making small talk with the guy next to him. Katara didn’t miss the small smirk on his face before he looked away from her.

She cleared her throat before turning to Suki.

“Suki!” She whispered. “That’s the guy!” Katara said with her face down staring at her food.

Suki turned to Katara. “Huh? What guy?” she asked, slightly confused. Katara made eye contact with her. “The guy from this morning, he’s two tables in front of us, sitting across from that blonde kid with the black shirt.”

Her roommate immediately looked up before Katara gave her a small elbow to the side. “Don’t make it so obvious!” she whispered, starting to feel very embarrassed about the whole situation. Suki nodded and tried to be as discreet as possible.

“Oh shit” Suki said lowly. “You ran into Zuko?!” Suki whispered back. She couldn’t help the small smile that formed on her face. “He’s the captain of the swim team, he’s a junior, and he’s very well-muscled.” She said with a grin.

Katara could feel her blush come back up again. “Please tell me we don’t see the swim team very often,” she begged.

Suki giggled. “Our training area is right next to their swimming arena.”

“Oh, spirits.” Katara muttered with a groan. It was definitely going to be an interesting semester.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please make sure to subscribe for updates :) really excited for this. Let me know how you're liking it!


	3. Let's Party

The rest of the lunch consisted of player introductions and a pep talk from each of the coaches. Katara was thankful that the football team didn’t participate because there were too many players and not enough time. She was introduced to everyone by her coach, coach Lugo, who made her standup. “Katara is our newest Sophomore transfer from Alaska Pacific University, we are very excited to have her,” Coach Lugo said kindly.

She couldn’t help but blush slightly as the girls on her team clapped and whooped when she stood up. She wasn’t sure what to do as she stood so she gave the dining hall a quick wave and small smile before sitting back down. As she looked around she caught a small glimpse of Zuko staring at her from the corner of her eye.

Knowing he was likely looking at her when she wasn’t paying attention, she made sure to show off her smile a lot during conversations and even gave some small lip bites absentmindedly.

* * *

A few hours later she had her first practice. Each player received a box full of new uniforms including warm-ups, work-out clothes, shoes, and a backpack. According to Suki they called it “Nike Christmas” since that was the brand on their uniforms. The material was great and very comfortable.

“Katara!” a voice said, causing her to look up after tying her shoes.

A girl about her same height with pitch black hair pulled up into a neat bun with a strand of hair on each side of her head approached her. She walked very confidently, almost like she owned the place.

“I am Azula, your team captain.” Katara shook her hand and noticed the firm grip that other girl imposed on her hand. It was borderline painful. “I do hope you’ve settled in nicely. I know this is a huge change from what you’re used to in little old Alaska,” her tone was almost bored.

Katara managed to force a smile and nod. “So far so good.”

“Excellent” Azula said at once. “Well I do hope you’re a good fit for the team, see you around.” She said before walking away to meet with the coach.

“Don’t let her get to you, she’s like that with everyone” Suki offered with a smile. “Azula isn’t very endearing but she’s a hell of a player and one of our team’s biggest strengths. Do not show her any weaknesses though otherwise she will exploit them.”

Suki seemed to think something over in her head before sighing. “She made a girl quit last semester, she literally left in tears. I figured you should at least know what we deal with sometimes. It’s not all bad though I promise. I’ve got your back.”

Katara smiled and the girls joined the rest of the team for a warmup and a very long and exhausting practice.

After a grueling two-hour practice, Katara and Suki grabbed their duffel bag and made their way out of the gym that housed their volleyball area. She couldn’t help but peek at the pool area as they made their way out but was disappointed to see it was empty.

“Swim practice is held earlier than ours,” Suki chipped in, answering Katara’s silent question. She gave a small giggle when Katara blushed.

“Oh! I wasn’t…” she trailed off knowing it was futile to try to cover up in front of her roommate. She would be lying if she said she didn’t want to see Zuko again.

* * *

Unfortunately for Katara, she didn’t run into Zuko again for the first few days. Unbeknownst to either of them, they usually missed each other by a few minutes in various areas on campus. Even though the athletes shared a mandatory lunch schedule, they weren’t required to stay the entire time and their schedules the first week didn’t really match up and one of them would usually finish their meal before the other one arrived at the dining hall.

Friday came sooner than she expected and as she sat in the dining area of her shared dorm, Suki came in very excited.

“Get dressed girlfriend, we are going to a party tonight!” Suki announced cheerfully.

“What are you talking about?” Katara said slowly, biting down nervously on her lip.

“Every year at the start of the fall semester there’s a big ranch party where all of the athletes get to mingle before the major tournaments, matches, and meets start,” she explained, “now come on! Get dressed and put on your cutest outfit. I’ll do your makeup. It’ll be fun!”

Although she was hesitant, Katara knew it was important to bond with other people. She hadn’t made any friends in her classes yet so this could potentially help her social situation. She had done her first year at Alaska Pacific University online so she hadn’t really been to any college parties before.

She threw on black skinny jeans with an off shoulder white ruffled top and her favorite pair of taupe suede ankle boots. She styled her hair down so her dark curls flowed down. Suki was a makeup guru and did a wonderful smokey eye look that really brought out her eyes. She put on a neutral lip color not wanting to cause too much attention, but she had to admit, she looked good.

“Oooh sister, you look H-A-W-T” Suki said cheerfully. Katara turned away from the mirror and then looked over her shoulder, her butt looked really great in these jeans.

Soon the girls were out of the dorm and off to the ranch party in Suki’s Prius jamming out in the car.

The drive wasn’t terribly long, about 35 mins off campus using the interstate. They pulled up to this beautiful large house that was outside of the city area.

There were over 20 cars parked outside of the house. It was a good thing they had a lot of land to be able to fit all these people.

The girls made their way inside and were immediately greeted. Suki was apparently very popular.

Before they could make it too far into the house, a girl ran up to Suki looking frantic. “Oh Suki! Thank god you’re here! Layne is upstairs drunk out of her mind hysterically crying over Haru… Again.”

A look of concern washed over Suki. “Katara, will you be okay if I leave you alone for a little bit? I know how to deal with Layne but it’s kind of a pain but she’s a good girl, she’s just heartbroken.”

“Oh yeah! No worries, I’ll be fine, it’ll give me some time to mingle,” she responded reassuringly. Her roommate gave her a small smile before heading upstairs to find her other friend.

She decided to make her way into the kitchen to fix herself a drink. She didn’t really drink much alcohol except for her brother’s weird concoctions every once in a blue moon.

There were various bottles of alcohol bottles on the counter in the kitchen with a few mixers. She was too focused on trying to figure out what she wanted to make to notice someone come up behind her and place their arms on either side of the counter, locking her in.

“Well hey there kitty kat,” a voice purred from behind her. Katara jumped and turned around to see a vaguely familiar face. She knew he was one of the divers on the diving team but couldn’t remember his name for the life of her.

“Oh, um, hey” she replied, clearly uncomfortable by his proximity to her. The guy wasn’t bad looking but something about him gave Katara chills. He looked at her like she was a prey animal.

“Are you having fun?” he asked, he maintained eye contacted and licked his lips as he looked at her body up and down.

“Hard to say, I got here not long ago,” she replied lowly. She looked around for anyone near her but most people were too deep into their own conversations to notice what was happening.

“Well don’t worry, I can show you a good time,” he told her with a smirk. He let up to reach for a nearby drink and Katara took the chance to squirm away from him and head towards the sliding glass door that led to the outside area.

Before she could make it too far she felt a hand wrap around her waist and turn her around. “Where do you think you’re going?” the guy said in an attempted husky voice that just didn’t suit him.

Katara had had enough and shoved the guy back with some force. “Get your hands off me!” she spat quietly. As she turned to go outside she could hear the guy behind her laugh and say “I like them feisty.”

Outside there were people around a fire pit with logs circling around it. She hoped Suki would come down soon. She had half a mind to go upstairs and try to find her but remembered she would have to go back to where that creep was and felt safer out here where there were at least more people.

There were a lot of friendly faces but she quickly realized everyone had their own click. She didn’t really recognize anyone from her volleyball team outside. Maybe they were in a different part of the house.

She found an empty log bench by the firepit that could seat two people. She figured she would save Suki a seat whenever she came down. She fished out her phone and sent a text off to her brother to check what he was up to. She knew she could call him and he would threaten to beat that guy up. The thought made Katara smile but decided to not worry her brother.

As she started to type a response to Sokka who told her he too was out at a local bar with some friends she saw someone walking towards her. Katara groaned and started to panic a bit when she saw the same guy from earlier coming towards her with two solo cups in his hand.

The guy was annoyingly persistent and Katara was already trying to figure out a way to get away from his clutches. As the guy got closer to her, she felt someone sit down next to her.

“Thanks for saving me a seat,” a familiar husky voice said. Katara turned to find Zuko sitting down next to her. He was wearing a fitted v-neck with a black leather jacket and perfectly fitted dark jeans. She couldn’t help but notice how great he looked. For a moment she almost forgot the situation before her.

“Zuko, buddy!” The creepy stranger cheered. He couldn’t quite hide the disappointment in his voice when he saw him sit down next to Katara. “Nice of you to grace us with your presence,” the guy said with a forced smile.

The two men stared at each other with slight animosity and Katara couldn’t help but think they had some previous history.

“I met the lovely Katara earlier and was just bring her one of my specialty drinks, isn’t that right sweetheart?” The stranger smiled with fake sweetness at Katara and even threw a wink her way. He moved forward to attempt to hand her one of the cups in his hand but Zuko placed his arm between them, stopping Katara from being able to reach up and grab one.

“That’s alright Cory,” Zuko said in a harsh tone. “She’s with me, I can get her a drink myself” he responded firmly. The other man shot Zuko a dirty look before plastering a fake smile and looking at Katara once more. He held his hands up in mock defeat. “My apologies man, I didn’t know she was with you. I guess I’ll see you around Kat,” he gave her one more sly look before turning away and heading towards a group of guys nearby but out of hearing range.

Katara visibly relaxed and let out a deep sigh. She shivered and realized she was shaking a bit.

Instinctively Zuko took off his jacket and placed it over her shoulders. She jumped a little, surprised by the gesture but thanked him and gave him a warm genuine smile.

“Are you okay?” he asked with a visible frown. He was worried about her.

“I don’t know,” she said after a moment. “I think this was all just a little too much for me. I’m not sure I could really enjoy the rest of the evening.”

Zuko nodded, staring at the fire in front of them.

“Would you like me to take you home?”

Katara took a deep breath in and sighed. “Yeah, I think I’m ready to go if that’s okay. You don’t have to drive me though, I can see if I can find Suki. You shouldn’t have to leave on my account.” Deep down she hoped he would try to insist because she couldn’t help the warm feeling she felt around him. She somehow knew she was safe with him.

“I don’t mind,” he said with a shrug. “I’m not big on these kind of social gatherings anyways.”

Katara couldn’t help wonder why he would come to this party if he didn't want to be social but decided to make a mental note and ask later.

“Let me just text Suki so she doesn’t worry about me.”

(Katara 9:05pm) _Hey, I’m not feeling too good. Zuko offered to drive me back to our dorm. Just wanted to let you know._

She could see Suki typing a response and waited to see what the other girl would say.

(Suki 9:06pm) _Is everything okay? Do you want me to drive you? I’m sorry this has taken longer than normal. Layne has been an absolute wreck._

(Katara 9:06pm) _No, it’s okay. She probably needs you more at the moment. I’ll see you back at the dorm and we can talk more then._

(Suki 9:07pm) _Okay. Call if you need me. PS Zuko is a trustworthy guy, otherwise I wouldn’t let you go home with him._

After putting her phone in her back pocket she stood and Zuko did too, leading the way out to the front of the house. She could feel Cory’s eyes on them as they made their exit, the man was definitely not happy.

They walked quietly to where Zuko’s truck was parked. It was a nice Red Chevy Silverado with the Texas Edition logo. She expected him to walk over to driver’s area but instead he unlocked the truck and held the door open for her.

She was taken back by the gesture, considering how frustrated he had been during their first encounter.

She walked closer but stopped in front of him. “Well aren’t you chivalrous?” she teased lightly with a small smirk.

She could see Zuko roll his eyes lightly but waited for her to get in before closing the door gently and walking around to the driver’s side.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you to all of you who have read so far :)  
> I will try to update daily but definitely weekly. The ideas are flowing really well. Make sure to sub and tell me what you think in the comments! I love hearing from all of you.


	4. The Ride

The car ride was quiet at first although it was a peaceful silence. Katara looked out the window a lot and Zuko tried to make sense of the million of thoughts running through his head.

Although he had appeared calm when he was with Katara at the party, he knew that at any moment he could lose his cool and punch Cory into yesterday. But that wasn’t who he was anymore. He stayed away from that crowd because it brought back a lot of memories of who he wasn’t anymore.

Zuko was the first to break the silence. “Did you go to a lot of parties back in Alaska?”

Katara shifted herself to face him better as most of her body had been facing the window. “Um, no, not really. I did my first year online so I could stay home and help my dad around. I come from a small tribe so we can’t get too crazy without all of the parents knowing.”

Zuko nodded. “If there is one thing you should know about college is that you have to be careful Katara. It’s unfair and it shouldn’t be this way but you can’t be too trusting of people. “

He paused to take a look at her. He made sure his tone was gentle. She appeared to be receptive, so he trudged on. “Guys like Cory are sleazebags so never take a drink from any guy at a party. Make it yourself. Don’t set your drink down, always keep it with you and keep an eye on it.”

He rubbed his eyes a bit in slight frustration. “We shouldn’t have to tell girls to do this. We should tell guys to not be disgusting pieces of shit but I just want to make sure you’re safe in the future,” his voice sounded like he had genuine concern for her which caused an unknown feeling inside Katara. She had never had any guy that wasn’t her father or her brother be so concerned for her.

She shifted a bit in her seat feeling a bit uncomfortable with what she was going to say next. “Well, I’m really glad you were there Zuko,” she said earnestly.

He bit down on his lip before meeting her bright blue eyes and giving her a small smile and a nod.

“I genuinely believed I was going to have to kick him in the balls,” she admitted.

Zuko couldn’t help but snort at her statement. “You would’ve really done that?”

“Oh definitely,” she said with confidence. “I grew up fighting my brother Sokka, I could’ve taken him on if it came down to it.”

Zuko gave her a smile with an expression on his face that she couldn’t quite read. “I’m sure you could’ve, I mean you practically took me out in one motion earlier this week,” he teased.

She groaned and sank into her seat a little. “You are never going to let me live that down are you?”

“Not a chance,” he responded with a smirk.

He kept his eyes on the road which gave her a chance to appreciate his features. She wore his leather jacket fully now, not just around her shoulders and the hint of cologne on it was making her feel some type of way. She could see that his shirt was fitted perfectly and showed off his defined bicep muscles and strong forearms. It also hugged his abdomen which slightly revealed his abdominal muscles. She gulped washing away an inappropriate thought.

She couldn’t also help but noticed that his arms had a few marks and scabs from where he had fallen earlier this week on concrete. She mentally facepalmed herself at the memory once again.

“Looks like you’re making a speedy recovery from your unfortunate accident early this week,” she attempted to say nonchalantly, continuing the conversation.

He twisted his arm to take a look at the fading scratches, they did look a lot better after they had stung like crazy when he had swim practice.

“Yeah but wait until you see my butt cheek, I bruise like a peach so it is not a pretty sight back there,” he joked. “I had to wear my jammers instead of my normal speedo at practice to cover it up.”

Katara let out a chuckle but turned away and pretended to look out the window in case he could see her blush.

Gaging her reaction to his comment he couldn’t help but smirk to himself. It seemed he had some sort of an effect on her. If only she knew that she had the equal effect on him.

She was absolutely gorgeous. It wasn’t until he had seen her again in the dining hall that he got a better look at her and she nearly took his breath away.

He also caught on pretty early that she wasn’t the type of girl to put up with anyone’s crap, she was a fighter and spoke her mind which he couldn’t help but admire.

When he had spotted her tonight he realized he would be in deep trouble when he took one look at her. It made him that much angrier at Cory for trying to be forceful with her.

His thoughts were cut short by her stomach audibly growling.

Feeling embarrassed she immediately covered her abdomen with her arms and gave him a shy smile when she caught his gaze.

“Hungry?” he asked, chuckling lightly.

“A bit,” she admitted shyly. “We didn’t have dinner before we left.”

Zuko pinched the bridge of his nose again and took a deep breath. She pressed her lips together to prevent from laughing and making him more angry.

After a moment he recovered and faced her with a calm expression. “So you were getting ready to go to a party and start drinking on an empty stomach?”

At her shrug he groaned as if he was in pain. “You’re going to be the death of me Katara, I swear it.”

She stared up at him with faux innocent eyes causing him to roll his eyes and shake his head.

“Do you like chicken tender and fries?” he asked plainly.

If she was going to be honest, she could eat just about anything at this very second. “Of course!”

She hadn’t noticed that they were already on campus. He made a few turns before reaching a parking lot.

“If you’re going to be a Texas A&M Aggie, coming to The Chicken is a rite of passage,” he explained as he got out of the car.

They walked on a strip of different bars and restaurants and stepped up to a placed that looked a bit worn down that had a sign that read “Dixie Chicken”. It was tavern style.

Zuko held the door open for her and she saw how lively it was on the inside. There were a ton of people on a Friday night which she then guessed sounded about right.

He led her to a counter where he talked to the guy behind it.

“Zuko! How’s it going man?” the long-haired brunet and Zuko clasped hands and brought each other close for a pat on the back.

“Hey Haru, it’s going pretty okay. Can I get two chicken tender baskets?” he turned to Katara who was looking around the place from beside him. “Would you like anything to drink?”

“Um, a lemonade would be great, thanks.”

He turned back to Haru to continue their conversation, “A lemonade and a water.”

Zuko made a motion to grab his wallet from his back pocket but Katara was faster and handed her card to the guy taking their order.

Haru chuckled lightly at the pointed look Zuko gave Katara but took her card nonetheless.

She shrugged her shoulders. “It’s the least I can do after bruising your butt,” she said casually.

Now it was Zuko’s turn to blush slightly as Haru remained quiet but lifted an eyebrow.

They found a table nearby and took seats opposite one another.

“So when’s your first swim meet?” She asked as she took a sip of her lemonade.

“Not for another few weeks, our season starts in September.”

Katara stretched her arms out before nodding. “Mmm kay. So why did you choose swimming?”

Zuko bit the inside of his cheek before responding. She asked very good questions that not many people bothered to find out about him.

“It’s peaceful underwater,” he began. He looked at her before continuing, making sure he didn’t sound too crazy. “Life was hectic growing up, but I knew if I wanted to get away I could just dive underwater and everything would just go away for that moment. The only thing I had to think about was focusing on my breathing and my swim.”

She smiled at him, she was in awe of his thoughtful response. “That’s a really beautiful way to look at things.”

“What about you? What do you like about volleyball?”

“It was something we used to play as a family when I was a kid. We had a net on our property and it was convenient since there were four of us. My mom was a really good teacher and after she passed away I continued playing and getting better until I was able to secure a scholarship.” She smiled at him sheepishly, the conversation had gotten rather person very quick.

Before he could respond she added, “plus it’s a great stress reliever, the rush I feel from a great match is incomparable.”

Zuko was quiet for a moment, he wasn’t sure what to say.

“Sorry, I didn’t mean to darken the mood there,” she said quickly, reading his expression.

“No, that’s not it…” he began. “I’m sorry to hear about your mom Katara, I know what that feels like,” his tone was so quiet she wasn’t quite sure if she had heard him correctly.

She reached over to where his hands laid on the table and gave one of them a reassuring squeeze.

Although he didn’t smile his eyes were soft as they met hers.

A waitress came over with their food causing both of them to quickly separate their hands.

They ate peacefully making small talk about their first week of classes. Katara learned that Zuko was a Food and Resource Economics major and was passionate about improving food quality and availability. Likewise, he learned about her passion for animals and her aspiration to become a veterinarian.

A ping from her phone caused her to take a look and realize that it was almost midnight. “Wow, I cant believe it’s so late.”

“You ready to head out?” he asked. He knew he would stay with her longer but also remembered that he had an early swim practice.

“Yeah, I’m just going to use the restroom before we go.”

Zuko nodded and watched as she made her was around the corner. He couldn’t help but admire her very athletic figure. Boy, he was in trouble.

As Katara made her way out of the bathroom she noticed a wall full of pictures of various people that had eaten at the Dixie Chicken. She smiled as she saw all the different expressions and time frames.

Off to the right corner in a sea of other pictures she saw young man with short hair with an older gentleman. They both had big smiles as the young boy held up what looked to be an acceptance letter. Her finger traced the boy’s very handsome face. She looked back at Zuko as she realized who it was.

“Is this you?” she asked softly.

Zuko wore a visible frown. The photo had been taken during happier times. He was 17 in the picture and had gotten his acceptance to Texas A&M along with a swimming offer.

It was taken before his accident.

He nodded lightly. “It’s an old picture of when I was a high school senior. The man in the picture is my uncle Iroh.”

Katara knew that was the end of the conversation and she didn’t press for more information. Zuko turned around and headed towards the exit with Katara following closely.

He unlocked his truck and held his door open for her. This time she didn’t try to poke fun at him.

The ride to her dorm was relatively quiet, she could see a mixture of emotions on Zuko’s face and hoped she hadn’t ruined his night.

He parked outside her dorm hall and put his truck in park. Katara sighed and went to undo her seatbelt but Zuko lightly placed his hand over hers before she unbuckled it.

“I’m sorry about earlier, that picture just triggered a lot of memories for me,” he said quietly, looking away from her.

She took a moment to look at him. To really look at him. She thought he was handsome despite his scarred face. He wasn’t just handsome because of his face and muscular build. He was also handsome because of who he was as a person. He’s the kind of guy to step up for someone he doesn’t know because it’s the right thing to do. Who wouldn’t admire that?

“I promise you have nothing to apologize for,” she offered.

He let go of her hand and unbuckled his own seatbelt to come around and get the door for her. “Come on, I’ll walk you up to your door.”

They walked in silence up the stairs and stopped when they reached the outside of her dorm room that she shared with Suki.

Zuko looked like he was getting ready to turn and walk away but without thinking Katara moved forward and pulled him in for a hug. He was stiff at first, clearly surprised, but then embraced her and returned her efforts. “You’re a really great guy, Zuko” she whispered in his ear. “Thanks for having my back tonight. You turned a crappy night into a really great one.”

They pulled away and Zuko stared intently at her. He wanted to speak but felt the words get caught in his throat.

“Have a good night Katara, I’ll see you around.” He offered a genuine smile, one that showed off his perfect teeth and made him radiate. He turned around and made his way down the hall to the exit.

She really hoped they would see each other around more often.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As always, thank you for reading!


	5. It's All Instinct

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The team prepares to leave for their first match of the season.  
> Suki and Katara talk about Zuko.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A whole lot of fluff before getting serious!

It was a known fact that Katara hated mornings. She groaned as sunlight peered through her window and the brunette tried to shield herself with her blanket.

After a few more minutes of tossing and turning she decided to give up and get out of bed.

As she sat up she could hear movement in the kitchen. Suki must be awake.

“Hey girl!” her roommate threw a smile over her shoulder as she added a finishing touch to the French toast she had made. “I made breakfast.”

Tilting her head up and sniffing the aroma of the kitchen, Katara almost drooled. “Wow, it smells amazing Suki.”

Suki put down two placemats and served Katara a cup of coffee and a fair share of French toast covered in strawberries and powdered sugar.

“I’m really sorry I left you alone last night ‘Tara. I heard Cory was making a usual ass of himself. Are you okay?” The girl bore a very apologetic expression as she waited for Katara to reply.

Katara took a bite of food before nodding. “Yeah, I’m okay. He was just really intense. I’m just glad Zuko got him off my back.”

Suki had a small smile on her face as she shifted her gaze to the leather jacket hanging on one of the dining room chairs. “So did Zuko stay over last night?” she raised a curious eyebrow while holding back a smirk.

Katara’s eyes fell on the jacket and her blue eyes widened. “Oh, no!” she shook her head rapidly. “I just forgot to give him his jacket back at the end of the night.” She looked down to cover her blushing expression.

“Oooh!” Suki squealed, clapping her hands in a cheerful manner. “Someone’s got a crush on our brooding Zuko,” she teased.

“I do not!” Katara countered, but even she knew it didn’t sound very convincing. Suki gave her a pointed look and the other girl slumped her shoulders in defeat. “Okay, fine, maybe a little,” she admitted lowly.

She shifted uncomfortably in her seat waiting for Suki to say something but she only stayed quiet and continued eating her breakfast with obvious delight.

“Suki!” Katara’s eyebrows furrowed in frustration.

“What?” the other girl responded quizzically while trying to chew on her breakfast.

“Are you not going to tell me anything about him? you’re really going to make me beg for deets?” she crossed her arms feeling annoyed.

Suki swallowed and met the other girl’s gaze. She held her hands up in mock surrender. “Alright, what do you want to know?”

“Literally anything besides the fact that he’s the captain of the swim team and his major. I don’t have a whole lot to go on.” Zuko was a great listener and had shifted the conversation to be mostly about Katara during the small time they had spent together the previous night.

Pensively Suki bit down on her bottom lip. “There’s a lot to say about Zuko,” she began. “For starters he’s a Sozin.”

“A what?” Katara tilted her head, unsure of what the even meant.

“His dad is Ozai Sozin,” Katara continued to stare at Suki, still not understanding. “The newly elected Senator…” Suki chimed in, as if it would ring a bell.

She sighed, remembering her roommate wasn’t from Texas. “His dad is in politics and is one of the Senators that represent our state. He’s pretty influential and holds a lot of power in D.C., he was also a highly decorated war veteran.”

Hmm, interesting, Katara thought to herself. She didn’t peg Zuko for a military brat, but then again she didn’t know him very well.

Katara nodded, encouraging Suki to go on. “Well he and Azula have a really complicated family dyn-“

“Azula’s related to him?!” Katara screeched, interrupting the other girl. “Our Azula? Our team captain?”

“She’s his sister.” Suki couldn’t help her amused expression and nodded, waiting for the other girl to process the information.

When she thought about it, it did make sense. They both had jet black hair, pale skin, and golden eyes. They were both also incredibly gifted athletically, or so Katara assumed since Zuko was the captain of the swim team. Katara couldn’t help but think of how different they appeared to be.

“So what else can you tell me about him? You seem to vouch for him,” Katara pointed out, reminding Suki of the message she had sent her the previous night.

“Well,” Suki hesitated, staring anywhere but at Katara. “I might be a little biased. I’ve known him since we were kids. Azula and I did volleyball camp together in the summer.” She explained.

Suki shifted uncomfortably; unsure how much was appropriate to tell Katara. If she knew anything, it was that Zuko was very reserved about his life.

“Zuko is a very talented swimmer. He broke school records as a freshman, which meant he got a lot of hate from the older guys on the team. He was also never shy about his talents and took any opportunity to showcase his speed and technique.” Suki paused, looking down at her hands. “A lot of things changed after his accident happened. He missed the second half of the swim season and we didn’t see him until about 6 weeks ago when he returned to the pool. He doesn’t socialize as much and keeps to himself. He used to live with his best friend Haru in the upperclassmen dorms but when he came back, he moved to an apartment off campus by himself.”

“He used to be a bit of a hothead and would bump heads with a lot of the other guys but he was always kind to me,” she said, defending Zuko.

Katara nodded. There was a lot to take in.

“There is one more thing Katara,” Suki said quietly. “He’s usually on and off with this girl named Mai. She’s one of Azula’s friends and they’ve been back and forth since before college. I don’t really know their deal is but it seems like they’re off again. But it’s important that you know this, I don’t want you to get your feelings hurt,” she said softly.

“Oh,” Katara replied, visibly deflating. “Yeah, no, it’s not like there’s anything serious going on with us,” she shrugged her shoulders casually, but she couldn’t help the pit of disappointment that seemed to settle inside her.

Katara changed the subject after a pause and Suki went back to her cheerful self and entertained their conversation.

When they finished breakfast and Katara was back in her room, she opened up her laptop and did some searching. She looked up the swimming roster for the previous season and found a picture of Zuko, he wore a small smirk and had short hair all around, his face was even, clearly before his accident. She then looked up his picture now and it was so different. He was frowning in his picture and his hair was longer, bangs covered his forehead and his scar on the left side of his face gave him a natural scowl.

She didn’t know what happened, but whatever it was no one seemed to talk about it. Katara closed her laptop shut and sighed. She didn’t really care what happened. She didn’t know Zuko then, she only him now, and he was surprisingly pleasant to be around.

* * *

The volleyball team was preparing for their first match which would be against longtime rival Texas Tech. Between classes, attending practices, and trying to stay on top of homework, Katara found she didn’t have much free time. She didn’t run into Zuko in the dining hall or on campus much to her dismay.

Practice had been extra grueling as they prepared for their first match. Katara quickly learned of Azula’s influence on their coach which is how the entire team ended up in the weight room after a half practice. Azula had demanded the team spend more time building their strength in order to be more explosive during matches. She had found it odd how none of the girls had complained and how they all lined up eagerly to head to weight room. Once they had reached the training room that was held for athletic teams only, she could see why everyone had been on board to train in there.

Suki elbowed Katara lightly in the ribs and leaned in to whisper something in her ear. “You are in for a treat,” she told her with a devious wink.

Coach Lugo opened the door and addressed the team. “Alright girls, lets make our way inside, otherwise Coach Bumi and his guys will hog the space all night.”

Azula was the first to enter, walking gracefully but asserting her dominance with harsh glares at the guys in the room. Most started to pack up in a hurry. Katara couldn’t help but snort in response. Their team captain was ruthless.

Most of the girls tried to chat with the guys but Katara pushed through to the back to get a spot at the squat rack. She heard a few grunts and as she rounded the corner she stopped dead in her tracks. Zuko was doing dips on the stand next to the squat rack. He wore a cut-off tee that revealed his sides, clearly exposing his toned abdomen. He wore a belt around his waist with two heavy plates hanging below it. His hair was pulled back by a thin headband which exposed his slightly paler forehead.

“Two more, Zook,” the guy next to him called, cheering him on.

Zuko let out a loud grunt and all of his muscles contracted as he dipped down and brought himself back up.

Katara visibly gulped as she saw how the sweat glistened over Zuko’s muscular body. It definitely was not fair how he was shaped like an Adonis.

Zuko gently let himself down to take off the belt and remove the weights. He didn’t see Katara behind him but did notice that another team had slowly taken over the area and he needed to clear out.

Katara quickly walked over to the squat rack and started to set up weights on either side of the bar before Zuko could turn around and see her. She did not want to get caught staring at him like a creep.

Suki joined Katara to spot her from behind. Their eyes met on the mirror and Katara knew that Suki had seen her get a bit flustered while watching Zuko and all his glory work up a sweat.

She rolled her eyes at her teammate and got into stance to lift the bar from the rack and start her squats. From the mirror she could see Zuko wiping his sweat with a towel and conversing with the guy that had been next to him. They started to walk towards the exit when he caught sight of Katara’s figure at the squat rack causing him to trip over a weight he hadn’t seen since his attention had been on her. The guy next to Zuko caught him and chuckled lightly following his gaze to see what had caused him to trip.

Katara pressed her lips together to suppress her laughter. She knew she could see him, but he couldn’t see her face. She realized Zuko had probably never seen her in her volleyball outfit. The black shorts were very flattering to her long tan legs. She did another deep squat and saw Zuko’s eyes widened, he coughed to cover up his surprise. The guy next to him gave him a friendly punch to the arm and whispered something too low for her to hear.

She briefly heard Zuko tell him to shut up before the two men continued their walk to the exit.

Meeting her gaze in the mirror, Katara could see Suki was really enjoying the event that had unfolded. She only shook her head. “I don’t want to hear it Suki.”

* * *

With their away match being two days away, tensions were running high amongst the team. There was one starting spot open and Katara knew it would come down to the wire. She had been working her ass off at practice in hopes that coach would notice her effort and put her in the lineup against Tech. Azula, Ming, Suki, Ty Lee, and a girl named Ary all had secured spots as they were the best players on the team.

The team all sat on the bench as they waited for their coach to start their morning practice.

“Alright ladies, as you know, we leave tomorrow to Lubbock for our match against Texas Tech. As you may also know, we still have one open spot for the starting lineup. All of you have worked very hard and are equally deserving. With that being said, anyone that would like to be a contender will have to undergo an individual match with our captain, Azula.”

A lot of the girls groaned in defeat. Off to the side Katara could see Azula smirk in delight.

Only Katara and three other girls stood up to the challenge.

She watched with a mortified expression as Azula decimated the girls before her. All of Azula’s moves were perfectly calculated and exposed her opponent’s weakness. Katara scoffed in disbelieve as Azula moved gracefully but ferociously without a single strand of hair being out of place. It was like she wasn’t even human.

Katara’s palms were sweaty as she stepped up to the court. Although most people would think she would be at an advantage since Azula had just played against three other girls, Katara knew that was not the case.

Katara stood at the back of the court and served the ball. Azula quickly returned it with ease. They went back and forth for what felt like a lifetime. Katara was proud of herself, she was keeping up and giving Azula a run for her money.

The sophomore returned the ball to Azula with a powerful hit. Azula smirked as she blocked it and sent it flying to the opposite corner.

Her eyes widened, she knew she wouldn’t make it but dove after the ball, sprawling on the floor, missing it by a second.

She sighed heavily and groaned.

She was taken a back when a perfectly manicured hand extended a hand out to her to help her up. She hesitated for a second but then took Azula’s hand and stood up. Her team captain had an intimidating scowl on her face.

“You knew you wouldn’t make it, but you dived after it anyways. Why?” Azula demanded.

Katara shrugged and rubbed her arm nervously. “It’s all instinct for me,” she responded under the intimidating scowl of Azula. “I’m always going to try and save it,” she concluded.

Azula’s expression turned unreadable but was no longer scowling.

“Hm,” she considered the other girl’s response. “She’s worthy, she can have the spot,” she said simply. Her response was neutral, almost as if she was bored as she set the ball on the court and walked away to the locker room.

Katara blinked in surprise. She was not expecting that kind of response from Azula. It was as close to respect as she would probably ever get from her team captain.

Coach Lugo smiled and gave Katara a pat on the back. “Congrats Katara, you’re our 6th and final starter.”

Katara smiled brightly and the rest of the girls cheered her on and ran to her to embrace her in a circle.

* * *

The next morning the girls gathered outside of the training facility. A large bus was parked outside that would take them all the way to Lubbock and back. The girls were all very excited as it was a big rivalry game, and it would be a three-day trip. It was tradition that after the match they would all go to the bar near campus and go country dancing.

Most days after practice Ty Lee, who Katara quickly learned was next level cheerful, and Suki would work on teaching her how to line dance.

She slowly picked up moves but was not nearly as confident as the other two Texas natives. They were both swift and creative with their moves.

Coach Lugo appeared and instructed the girls to put their things underneath the hatch on the side of the bus. “Now, for another set of business before we leave. The men’s swimming and diving team is having their fan appreciation day and are signing their seasonal poster’s. Go grab one and show your support before we leave.”

Their coach met no resistance as the girls happily went around the corner to find the tables that held the two teams.

It was late morning on a Saturday and Katara was shocked at the large turnout of people. There were plenty of families and other college students lined up to get autographs and pictures from the team.

Katara turned to Suki and raised an eyebrow. “How did they get such a large fan base?” she asked curiously.

Suki giggled and shook her head at Katara. “One of the seniors on the diving team will likely head to the Olympics next summer. He’s won several national championships already.” She explained. Her head pointed lightly to another guy which Katara recognized too easily. “And then there’s Zuko, this is his first appearance since he had to cut his season short last year after his accident. He’s also another contender to attend the U.S. Olympic Trials next summer in Omaha.”

“Seriously?” Katara’s mouth hung open. She figured he was a good swimmer but didn’t know he was Team USA level competitive.

She looked ahead where she could see Zuko sitting at the center of a long table which held the many swim team athletes. His face had its natural scowl as he waited for people to approach him with posters and memorabilia. She could tell he was trying, his face would soften and he would curl his lips upwards just enough to come off as friendly.

Katara joined the line behind a little girl that was holding her dad’s hand firmly. Ahead of her she could see Azula holding a poster in her hand but not actually letting any of the players sign it which was met with a lot of confused looks by the guys, but no one dared say anything. Probably too scared of her.

She watched as Azula reached Zuko and held the poster open for him to sign.

Zuko blinked in confusion and stared at his sister with an incredulous expression.

“Well don’t look so surprised dear brother,” she drawled out. “Make sure to make it personal, none of that generic crap,” she said simply. She straightened herself and crossed her arms as she waited.

Katara was a few people behind Azula and couldn’t help but snicker. Zuko looked around as if he was being punked.

“Dear Azula,” he said out loud, looking up at his sister as he wrote the words out on the poster. “Thank you for being my biggest fan. I am honored that you look up to me,” he continued saying, chancing a look up at his sister who raised a curious eyebrow. “Love, Zuko.”

He signed the poster before handing it back to his sister with a coy smile. Azula accepted the poster and rolled her eyes. “Ever the drama queen Zuzu.”

He frowned deeply as he heard his childhood nickname. Watching his reaction Azula walked off with a satisfied smile.

Katara continued down the line getting autographs from the various athletes. She recognized some of the faces and exchanged friendly smiles. The poster showed all of them in various poses. Zuko was in the center of the poster on a block, in position to dive into pool.

She was almost to Zuko when she noticed the girl in front of her hide behind her dad as she made it to Zuko.

“She’s really shy,” her dad explained, trying to coax her to get in front of him. “She’s a big fan of yours.”

Zuko’s expression softened and leaned forward to try to look around and meet the little girl’s gaze. “What’s your name?” he asked softly, a soft smile forming on his face.

The girl peeked from behind her dad. The first thing most of them noticed is that like Zuko, she had been scarred from a burn over her face. It was much smaller than Zuko’s but still noticeable. Of course Zuko’s smile didn’t falter, he too knew what it was liked to be looked at in pity.

“Kaaatyyy,” she enunciated.

Zuko nodded. “Alright, so Kaaaatyyyy,” he repeated back to her. “Will you be at the next home meet?”

She nodded shyly in agreement. “I’m a swimmer too,” she announced proudly.

Zuko chuckled. “I guess I’ll have to come watch you too,” he announced. The little girl giggled and hid behind her dad again. The swimmer reached for his sharpie and began signing her poster. Katara could see he put a lot of effort into it, there was mini paragraph as he finished with his signature at the bottom.

The girl’s dad thanked Zuko and shook his hand. The little girl waved goodbye and Zuko waved back giving her a genuine smile. The kind that took Katara’s breath away.

Zuko broke his gaze away from the little girl and took the next poster without looking up at who it was.

“Don’t personalize it, I’m only here for your signature in case you make it big so I can sell it on ebay,” a familiar voice teased.

Zuko looked up through his eyelashes at Katara, a small smirk creeping up on his face. “Is that so?”

Katara bit down on her lip and nodded, faking mock innocence.

Zuko scoffed and rolled his eyes. He used his left hand to cover what he was writing to her, causing the volleyball player to furrow her eyebrows in confusion. After a moment he quickly wrapped the poster up and handed it to her.

“Seriously? You’re being oddly cryptic,” she accused.

Zuko said nothing, just sat back in his chair and crossed his arms, staring intently at Katara with a heated look.

Seeing that she had started to hold up the line she glanced one more look his way before walking off to join the rest of her team by the bus.

As she walked over and was out of sight from anyone else she unfolded the poster and began to read the message he wrote by his picture. She gasped as she read the contents fully. She couldn’t help but blush when she saw he had written his number down.

_"Katara,_

_Good luck in your match tomorrow._

_Congrats on becoming a starter, I’m sure you more than earned it._

_Maybe we can get together for dinner when you come back._

_Yours,_

_Zuko"_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy thanksgiving Day!  
> Thanks for reading, leaving kudos, and comments! <3


	6. Time is Love

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Zuko visits Uncle Iroh in Arizona and reunites with some friends. Katara and the volleyball team travel to Lubbock for a match where she meets someone new.

“Father…no…” he groaned out. The image of his vision being distorted as his face neared the fire caused Zuko to bolt up in bed.

He panted heavily until he was able to steady his breathing. His alarm read that it was almost 6:00am. His nightmares weren’t unusual. He had them almost every night and would wake up sweating right before the sun rose.

Zuko watched as dawn slowly creeped into his window. His body feeling energized by the sun. After doing some stretches, he got out of bed and made his way over to his living room for his daily meditation session.

It had been something that was recommended by his therapist and he surprisingly found it helpful and incorporated it into his everyday routine.

Focusing on his breathing, he felt his rigid body slowly start to relax and his muscles unwind. He sat in his living room cross legged for about 30 minutes before he got up and made breakfast.

He sent off a text to his uncle saying he would be leaving soon. The drive to Arizona was about 8 hours from his off-campus apartment.

After throwing his duffel bag in the passenger seat of his truck, he made his way onto the interstate to head west towards Arizona.

Zuko enjoyed driving. It allowed him to think freely. His mind drifted to his accident that occurred a little over 6 months ago. He scoffed when thinking of the term ‘accident’. It hadn’t been an accident; his father had intentionally burned him.

It had been a difficult truth to come to terms with, one that he struggled with during his recovery, but it was indeed the reality of the situation.

Shaking his head to free himself of his dark thoughts, he selected his favorite playlist drummed his fingers lightly on the steering wheel to the beat.

Before he knew it, he was facing a familiar sign and entering the family farm.

_The Jasmine Dragon Dairy Farm_

He drove up to his uncle’s house that was just a few yards from the main farm.

“Nephew!” his uncle called out from the steps outside the entryway. A broad smile across his aging face.

Zuko returned his smile and walked up to his uncle.

They came together for a tight hug. “Hello uncle,” he greeted back. Iroh stepped back and chuckled. “I feel like every time I see you, you’re a little taller,” the older man mused.

Zuko shook his head. “You say that every time uncle. I promise I stopped growing in high school.”

Iroh smiled softly and nodded, turning to step into the house. The sat at the dining room table and Zuko thanked his uncle when he was poured a cup of his favorite tea: oolong.

“How are things around the farm?” He asked, sipping his tea.

His uncle sighed lightly. “Milk prices are unsteady as usual but besides that we are fairing pretty well,” he admitted.

They enjoyed the rest of their tea. Zuko filling his uncle in on his studies and swim practice and Iroh briefing Zuko on the new developments at the farm. His uncle also chuckled as he included some of the town gossip that he had overheard at the market.

Inwardly Zuko felt happiness for his uncle. This farm was his dream and he seemed so joyful and happy. It was crazy to think that he used to be an important general in the Marine Corps that only retired 8 years ago.

Making his way to his room to put his bags down, he barely had a moment to take everything in before the door flew open.

His best friend, who also happened to be blind, appeared at the doorway like a madwoman with a mission.

“Alright Sparky, let’s go save Mako from his impending liver failure.” Toph pulled him towards the front door with force. She was only 5’3 but boy was she powerful.

Zuko didn’t bother to argue, it was futile, plus he enjoyed the company of his only two friends he had back home.

By the time they got to their usual hangout spot on the other side of the farm, Mako was already laying back on a chair nursing a beer.

“Zuko!” Mako cheered, standing up to greet his friend.

They shared a manly hug that included patting each other on the back before sitting across from one another.

Zuko watched with horror as Toph cracked open a beer can and chugged it easily.

“I’ve gotta catch up, I can’t just let him drink alone.” she explained, silently answering his question.

The scarred man sat back on his chair and slapped his thighs lightly. “So, what’s got you down?” he asked.

Mako groaned and tossed back the rest of his beer before grabbing another one. “Alright, so I’m at the store today in town, right?”

Both Toph and Zuko nodded when Mako paused to see if they were keeping up.

“…and I bump into Asami at the Deli.”

His friends scrunched their noses. Mako, although handsome, had terrible luck with the ladies. Asami had been only one of the first to break him heart.

“But that’s not even the worst of it… she was with someone else cuddling up to them.”

Zuko opened his mouth to speak but froze when Mako held a hand up.

“It would’ve been okay if it had been another guy or something… but it was Korra. They’re a thing now apparently,” he explained solemnly.

On instinct during uncomfortably moments, Zuko rubbed the back of his neck as he tried to think of what to say. “That’s… rough buddy.”

“I’ll say,” Toph chimed in. “You must have really done a number on those two to turn them gay for one another.”

Zuko picked up a tiny pebble and flung it lightly at Toph since she couldn’t see his scowl.

“Hey!” she complained with a frown.

Mako couldn’t help but laugh at the exchange and the three spent the rest of the night catching up like old times. They even got Zuko to blush when he admitted he had asked Katara out on a date.

* * *

The team was ecstatic. They had secured a victory over Texas Tech. Katara smiled as she listened to her teammates chatter about the fun night they were going to have tonight.

She couldn’t help but be surprised when Azula agreed to drive them to ensure they got over there safely but their team captain would not be joining them.

“She’s not 21 yet,” Suki explained as they made the line outside of the country bar and were out of earshot from Azula.

“Neither are we,” Katara countered, biting her lip.

Suki snorted. “Yeah, but our dad isn’t a senator. And plus, we have fake IDs,” she held up two IDs and gave Katara a mischievous grin.

“Suki!” Katara hissed. “What if we get in trouble?”

Ty Lee wrapped her arms around both girls and brought them in close. “Don’t worry Katara, we do this all the time. It’s not that serious. It’s a college town,” she explained with a giggle.

Although she was hesitant, Katara relented and followed the girls inside. She wore cutoff shorts with a white fitted shirt and her boots.

The atmosphere was lively. She watched as various groups of people were on the dance floor seemingly enjoying themselves.

She walked with the rest of the girls to the bar and she couldn’t help but smile shyly back at a boy who had caught her eye and had tipped his hat when she passed by.

He had tan skin, wore a red shirt and jeans. His eyes were brown, and his smile was perfect. He held a piece of straw between his teeth and he chatted with the guys around him.

The girls gathered around the bar where they ordered drinks, each of them doing a shot to start off the night.

Katara looked around and saw that everyone danced very well. She felt her nerves begin to kick in.

Before she could think about it, she was being led off to the dance floor with everyone else but quickly pulled back and stayed in the seating area right outside of the main floor.

Suki turned back with lifted an eyebrow.

“It’s okay! I just want to sit back and take it all in for a second,” Katara yelled over the music. Her roommate didn’t look to convinced but nodded nonetheless.

She looked around and saw that everyone was in their own little groups but it didn’t bother her to be sitting by herself.

Katara focused her attention on the dance floor and couldn’t help but smile as she saw her girls having a blast as they all line danced to a popular song.

Someone that didn’t surprise her was Ty Lee. She danced extremely well and incorporated a lot of acrobatic moves.

She almost didn’t register someone approaching her from the corner of her eye and pull a chair back.

“I’m sorry miss, but would you mind if I pulled up a chair and kept you company?”

Katara was shaken out of her bubble and nodded eagerly. “Sure,” she responded. It was the guy who had noticed her earlier.

The guy smiled back at her and took the seat across from her.

“Congrats on your win by the way,” he added in.

Her eyes immediately met his. “How did you know about that?”

He chuckled lightly. “That’s easy,” he said with a shrug. “I was at the game.”

Before Katara could reply, the guy had stood up and was facing her with a hand reaching out for her. “Would you join me for a dance? I think you should join in on the fun with the rest of your group.”

He was handsome, she had to admit it. And there was something about him that seemed a bit dangerous and she liked that too.

“I’m not sure,” she replied, biting her lip. “I’m not a very good dancer,” she admitted, lowering her head.

He reached for her hand and gently guided her up from her seat. “I’m sure that’s not true. Plus, I’ll take it easy on you,” he assured her.

He placed their palms together and guided her other hand to rest on his shoulder while he placed just under her shoulder blade. “Take a deep breath,” he said to her. “We’re just going to do an easy motion. Follow me, okay? Two steps forward and one step back.”

The fell into an easy rhythm for which Katara was thankful for.

“I’m Jet,” he said after a moment.

She smiled at him, her blue eyes sparkling under the lights. “I’m Katara,” she responded.

He returned her smile. He pressed her closer to him, causing Katara to blush slightly. “So, why do you think you’re a bad dancer? You seem to be doing just fine.”

Katara ducked her head shyly. “My friends showed me, but I haven’t had much practice. I just recently moved down here for school.”

He licked his lips and grinned at her. “That’s alright. Dancing is all in having a good partner. I promise I won’t let you fall or step on you,” he said jokingly.

She could not help but laugh and felt her body relax.

Conversation with Jet was easy. She also couldn’t help but notice he felt muscular to the touch.

As they continued to move she caught Suki’s gaze who gave her a wink, once again causing Katara to feel embarrassed.

The song changed to one she recognized. It was Josh Turner’s Time is Love.

“I love this song,” she whispered absently, more to herself than to her partner.

Jet gave her a broad smile. “I guess that means we should switch it up a bit,” he challenged.

Katara’s eyes widened in fear. “Uhh…”

“Relax,” he assured her. “Just follow my lead.”

He moved them faster than they had been and introduced her to various moves.

Before long the two of them were twirling and having more fun than Katara could think possible.

She smiled widely when he dipped her and then brought her flush against him before pulling her back into the next move.

She was quickly surprised though when he knelt in front of her and spun her hips rhythmically.

They continued to move effortlessly through the dance and Katara found herself enjoying every second. There were even a few times where she was sure Jet wouldn’t catch her after certain moved but sure enough, he did, every single time.

The song was heading towards the ending and Jet looked at her once more before dipping her low and she hung almost completely upside down, only one foot on the ground.

He brought her back up, their bodies pressed close together.

The song ended and they stayed looking at each other, chests rising and falling as they tried to catch their breaths.

“Care for another drink?” Jet asked, tipping his head towards the bar.

Still a bit out of breath, Katara only nodded slightly and followed him.

“Water for me and another whiskey and coke for the lady,” he said to the bartender.

Katara thanked him and nursed her drink.

“You aren’t drinking?” she asked in curiosity.

He took a sip of his water and shook his head. “I’m the designated driver tonight,” he explained.

The chatted back and forth, leaning in close to be heard over the sound of the music.

Katara learned that Jet was a Criminal Justice major and that he had a passion for helping those in need. He wanted to go to law school after graduation.

She smiled brightly when she heard he was a swimmer at Texas Tech. “Oh! You must know Zuko then. He’s on the swim team at A&M!”

Jet hesitated for a second before responding. “Yeah… I do. We go way back,” he responded with a frown.

They were interrupted by a guy called Longshot who announced that Pipsqueak was one drink away from passing out and that they should probably head out.

“I guess that’s my cue,” Jet said, looking back at Katara who frowned slightly.

He met her gaze and reached for her hand and placed a gentle kiss on it before slowly bringing it back down. “It was a pleasure to meet you Katara. Thank you for a lovely night on the dance floor. I’ll keep an eye out for you when we visit College Station for our next swim meet,” he promised.

Katara nodded and watched as he released her hand and turned around to head out the door with his friends in tow.

She sighed. What an interesting night it had been.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm back :)  
> I have a lot to update on here and I'll also be wrapping up Scars Are Sexy soon!
> 
> Missed you all. Let's talk in the comments <3
> 
> PS hope this update didn't suck too bad, I definitely feel a little rusty haha.


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